The Meaning of Orr's Name

Orr may be a play on the word “oar”, because every time Orr flies a mission his plane is always damaged and he seems to be "up a creek without a paddle". Also, he paddles his way to freedom in Sweden, using an oar, after practicing with a full crew. His name might also be a play on on the word 'or', as in stay or leave. Throughout most of the book, Orr is the only character who understands that this is even a choice. He spends most of his time either practicing for the chance to exercise his options (crashing repeatedly in the Mediterranean) or paddling to freedom after he crashes successfully.